Personal Narrative: How People Influenced My Life

Throughout our lives we are influenced by many people. These people teach us many things in many different ways and have made us who we are today. Some of them teach us more than the others. Then, there are those who go above and beyond others and teach us things no one else could. These people are often thought of as god-teachers because they have taught us much more than any other. Through making me try new things, though I did not want to, and using his life experiences as a guide, my dad has completely changed my outlook on parents.
One example of my dad making me do things I did not want to do is to play baseball. When I was young, around the age of 4 or 5, my dad had approached me and asked if I was interested in the idea of playing baseball. He had told me he enjoyed it as a kid and that I would too. I was appalled with the idea and had told him “no”. Later that day he informed me that he signed me up and that if I did not like it I had the option to

quit. I had thought this was really mean and kept on telling him I was not going to play. After the first practice I still did not like it and told him I wanted to quit. He responded by saying how the games were more fun than the practices and that was his favorite part. I went to the game and continued to play the rest of the season. Ever since that moment, I have never thought of quitting. By forcing me to tryout for Little League, my dad has given the gift of unforgettable memories.
Furthermore, he always pushes my limits and puts me out of my comfort zone, which motivates me to work harder and to get better everyday. He did this by making me tryout for an AAU baseball team. The team he wanted me trying out for was much better than teams I had previously played on. I was scared and did not think I was good enough. He had told me he always wished he had that opportunity as a kid and that I should go for it. I was still strongly against the idea, nervous of embarrassing myself. Eventually I had agreed to try out, but had told him I was going to hate it. After the tryout I was nervous to see if I made the team. After a few days I had found out I made it. My dad was right. But during that year he kept telling me how lucky I was at getting the opportunity to get the instruction he always wished he had. At the time I did not think much of it, but soon came to realize how lucky I was.
My dad has not only pushed me physically, but mentally too.

He did this notably when I was in 5th grade. There was a sign-up sheet that was handed out where you could sign-up to get a math worksheet every Monday and it was due that Friday. It was not part of the regular curriculum. I had told my parents about it and they said I should do it to get better at math. My dad was especially opinionated because he had always excelled academically and wanted the same for me. But I was opposed to the idea of doing extra work and threw out the sign-up sheet. At some point my dad had sign me up for it without me knowing. I was very angry at this, but tried to do the work nonetheless. The work was harder than what I was used to but my dad had helped me through it and taught me how to do the work. Over the course of that year I had gotten a lot better at math and have excelled ever since. The skills he taught me that year I still use today and have never thought I would have ever been forced to learn such a valuable

skill.
Looking back on all of the things my dad had made me do, almost every single one of them worked out for the better and improved me in some way. One day when I was about to fall asleep I had looked back on all of these memories, and realizes that we are our parents second chance and should listen to what they have to say. I had never really seen it that way until that night, but I have never been able to unsee it. I realized that my dad had forced me to do the things he always wished he could have done. By seeing it this way I am now able to escape the general-teen mindset and listen to what my parents have to say. The reason they have pushed me to do certain things, and not do others, is because they know what will happen and I do not. By realizing my parents are reliving their childhood through me, I have been able to understand what they do and why they do it. I have learned lessons that can not be taught in the classroom. I now think all of my decisions through, respect everyone unless they do something to lose it, and understand the importance of listening to what everyone has to say. Most kids today often disregard their parents without a second thought, but my dad gave me that second though.
Throughout my young life I never realized why my parents had pushed me to do things that I was against. I never understood why my dad wanted me to tryout for and AAU organization. I never knew why he wanted me to tryout for Little League. But now I understand why; it’s because it is what he always loved as a kid, and it was what he never had the chance to do. He was reliving what he did, and wanted to do, through me. Now that I realize that, I can never thank him enough for making me do what I did. I have learned that our parents understand what we don't and that we should listen to them. My dad was teaching me the greatest, most important lesson of all, and I never really knew it, until now.